A common story we hear from kinship caregivers sounds like this. A retired grandparent, going about her morning routine gets an unexpected call - she must pick up her three grandchildren from her son’s home or they will be placed in foster care by Child Protective Services. In that moment, this grandmother’s life changes drastically. Paradoxically, to this grandmother and most kinship caregivers, this life-changing decision point does not feel like a choice at all- she will do whatever she can to care for and protect her family. This may mean picking up her grandchildren and packing only what they can fit in a suitcase, driving home to a new reality that will never look quite the same as the day before. Children become the epicenter of her life once again. She must organize her work schedule around school schedules, and not retire as planned so she can afford the cost of raising children. She may have to step away from work because the cost of childcare is unaffordable on her current salary. This may also mean early morning bus stops, late afternoon soccer games, calendars full of appointments and activities, Special Education evaluations, and ham sandwiches cut diagonally down the middle- just as the grandchildren like it. It may also entail legal battles for custody, accessing mental health services for the family, and navigating many support systems to find the resources each child needs.
Kinship caregiving is a complex family dynamic often hidden in the shadows, and these families generally receive much less financial and other support than formal foster families. Foster families undergo formalized licensing and training with a plan to welcome a child into their household, whereas kinship families often arise from unexpected situations with little mental, physical, or financial preparation involved, and few supports for navigating this new role. In Ohio, for every one child being raised by a relative in the foster system, 34 children are being raised by a relative outside the foster system (Grandfamilies.org, 2021). Kinship families are essential in supporting the well-being and education of children. A Whole Child approach by school systems is important for supporting the well-being of students in partnership with their kinship caregivers.
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